5 Minute Guacamole

This guacamole recipe from AllRecipes.com is so addictive that I can't get it off of my mind.  I keep going back to the fridge with chips in hand. Thankfully, it's super healthy when eaten in moderation.

I like to finely chop my veggies while leaving my avocado chunky for the best overall texture.  You can spice it up with a finely chopped jalapeno. 

Guacamole is best served the day you make it. 

Serve with Crockpot Chicken Tacos or Crockpot Pork Carnitas.

Recipe
from: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients 
3 Avocados, peeled, pitted and lightly mashed
1 Lime, juiced
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 c Onion, chopped
3 Plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Garlic, minced or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded, deveined and finely chopped (optional)

Directions
Mix all ingredients and chill 1 hour before serving.

Serves 10 |  3 WW Pts +

Sweet and Savory Green Beans

If you've ever made green bean bundles you know what a pain they are, but you also know how amazing they taste.  It's one of those things you love to eat at someone else's house, but you don't want to spend the time to make for yourself.  Maybe I'm the only one...

These sweet and savory green beans are the perfect solution.  You get all of the flavors with half of the work.  I served these for Thanksgiving and they were amazing!  You will rarely hear me calling a member of the bean family amazing, but these really were!

I found the recipe on Pinterest.  I know, shocking  It let me to  Nancy Creative.  Her beans look wonderful, but I did tweak them a bit to lower the calorie content. 

I hope you'll give them a try and enjoy them as much as we did!

Recipe
Adapted from Nancy Creative
4 or 5 (15 oz) cans cut green beans, drained
8 slices thick cut bacon, cut up
1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 c light butter
7 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Fry diced slices of bacon until about half way done.  Drain on paper towels.  (It's easier to cut them up first, in my opinion.)
2. While bacon is frying, melt butter and brown sugar together.  Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce, garlic powder and pepper.  
3. Dump green beans into a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with bacon and then pour butter mixture over the beans.  Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Stir and enjoy!

Quick Blender Salsa

My family loves salsa/Mexican food so much that sometimes it's hard for me to believe that the hubs isn't part Hispanic.  He wouldn't dream of eating a slice of tomato, but throw in some onions and cilantro and he'll eat it by the bucketful. 

Making salsa was such a long labor of love with all of the chopping that I didn't make it very often.... until I found this simple blender salsa recipe.  If I use canned tomatoes, I can whip this up in about 5 minutes.  Score! 

Since my father in law is in the middle of harvesting tons of tomatoes, I made mine with fresh tomatoes which takes a little longer because I like to scoop out the seeds.  However, they're free, fresh and I can make a bunch of salsa to freeze for later.  :)

This simple blender salsa is perfect for parties, potlucks or any night of the week.  It's cheap, easy and packed full of flavor!

Recipe
Adapted from AllRecipes 

2 (14.4) oz cans of tomatoes or 10-12 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed
1 jalapeno, seeds, stem and ribs removed
1/2 yellow onion, quartered
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss onion, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro and half of tomatoes into blender.  Process until as smooth as desired.  Add remaining tomatoes and and pulse until your reach your desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Let the salsa sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or more so the flavors can meld and then adjust seasonings. 

Makes about 2 cups.

Easy Apple Cranberry Salad {4 Points +}

Don't you love super simple recipes that make people think you worked a lot harder than you actually did?  Every time I make this, I get asked about what all I put in the "sauce".  People (i.e. the hubs) who don't typically like yogurt are always surprised that the yummy sauce is just a container of yogurt.
 
This is an easy to throw together recipe to go with along with breakfast egg muffins, breakfast casserole or cinnamon roll breakfast bake.  It's also a beautiful side for a potluck or holiday meal.  

You can easily double it and trade out the yogurt and fruit for whatever your family prefers. 

Recipe
Adapted from: AllRecipes
1 red apple, cored and chopped
1 green apple, cored and chopped
1/2 c canned peaches (packed in juice), drained and chopped
1/3 c walnut pieces
1/3 c dried cranberries
6 oz light lemon or vanilla yogurt

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately or chill.  This is best made the same day you plan on serving it.  If you make it the day before, the juices can make the yogurt "soupy". 

Serves: 5

Nutritional Mumbo Jumbo: Calories: 136  Fat: 5.9  Sat. Fat:  .5  Carbs:  22.6   Fiber: 2.8  Protein: 2.3  Weight Watchers: 4 Points +




Linked to: Full Plate Thursday -

Ranch Baked Potato Salad.

 
My all time favorite twice baked potatoes have Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix in them so when I found this recipe for Baked Potato Salad from Buns in My Oven, I knew I had to incorporate it. 

I'll admit that I rarely like potato salad or at least the mustard/mayo version, but this bacony, cheesy, oniony potato salad made me rethink the summer bbq staple.  Bacon often has that effect on me...

I kind of eyeballed the amounts, so you can definitely adjust it to taste, using this recipe as a springboard to create your own version.  Mix in any of your favorite baked potato toppings or add some celery for crunch.

Recipe
Adapted from Buns in My Oven
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed into 3/4 - 1" pieces
1/2 c light mayo (not Miracle Whip)
1/2 c light or fat-free sour cream
1/2 pkg Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 -3/4c real bacon bits
1/2 c reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c finely diced red bell pepper
2 green onions, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Boil potatoes in salted water until tender (about 15-20 minutes).  Drain and cool.
2.  In a small bowl combine mayo, sour cream and ranch dressing mix.  In another bowl toss potatoes, 1/2 cup real bacon bits, cheese, pepper and onions.  Add dressing mix and toss to coat.  Taste and add extra bacon and salt and pepper if needed.  You can add all of the bacon to begin with if you're not concerned about the calories.  ;)

*Note- I prefer to let it sit out for 20 minutes before serving to take the chill off. 

Printable Version

Cheesy Mexican Rice

The other day I was craving Mexican rice so I started Googling and found all kinds of yummy looking recipes that I'd like to try, but nothing matched the ingredients in my pantry.  Before giving up, I checked my AllRecipes.com recipe folder and found this recipe that I've had in there for FOREVER. 

Although it's not technically Mexican, this cheesy rice casserole works perfectly as a side to your favorite Mexican entree as well as grilled chicken or beef.  Transform it into a main dish by mixing in chopped, cooked chicken.

It has very few ingredients, but don't let that fool you. 

It tastes incredible. 

We wanted a healthier version of the original recipe so we used low fat sour cream and reduced fat cheese, but even with these substitutions, we still ended up with a rich tasting side. 

If you don't have green chiles on hand, PANIC.  I kid, I kid, just try subbing green enchilada sauce.  We liked it both ways, but felt that the enchilada sauce added even more dimension and moistness to the rice.

One BIG tip is to make sure that you are getting the 6 oz package of rice.   A lot of the packages are more like 4 oz which will live you with a soupy (but still tasty) mess.  Don't ask how I know this... : /

Now to get back to my AllRecipes.com recipe box and see what other gems are hiding in there.

Recipe
1 (6 ounce) package dry instant long grain and wild rice mix
1/2 c onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) container reduced fat or fat free sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles or green enchilada sauce
1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat Mexican blend cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish. (I used a 9x9" dish.) 
2.  Prepare the instant long grain and wild rice mix according to package directions along with the onions. 
3.  Mix sour cream, green chiles and 1 1/2 cups of cheese into the rice.  Pour into dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. 
4.  Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly. 

Adapted from:  AllRecipes.com

Cilantro Lime Rice

If you LOVE Chipotle like our family does, you'll enjoy this lighter, healthier version of their famous Cilantro Lime Rice from Gina's Skinny Taste.  Gina's blog is one of my favorite food blogs because her recipes are not just healthy, but they are foods my family really enjoys.   She has a lot of other Chipotle recipes to share too so be sure to check her out!  Yumm!

Back to the rice...Mexican fare tends to be on the heavier side, but the combination of cilantro and lime in this recipe will really brighten up those rich Mexican meals.  If you're not sure about using lime juice, start with a little and adjust to taste.  To make it super simple, use the chopped cilantro in the tube and bottled lime juice.  It seriously can't get any easier than that!

Serve with Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas.
 
Recipe
1 c rice (I used brown minute rice, but you could use whatever you have on hand.)
1 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp lime juice (I used bottled)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
3 tsp vegetable oil

1. Cook rice according to package directions with salt and 1 teaspoon oil.  Drain any extra liquid.
2. Mix with lime juice, cilantro and remaining oil.  Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

Source: Gina's Skinny Taste

Pepperoni Rolls

Sometimes something as simple as food can transport you back to the comforts of home quicker than planes, trains or automobiles.  Pepperoni Rolls have always been a staple back home in WV.   They originated somewhere around Fairmont, I believe, and are as indigenous to WV as hot dog sauce (not to be confused with chilli) and ramps (you don't want to know.)  You can buy them there in restaurants, pizzerias, gas stations, grocery stores, etc... but they are super easy to whip up at home.  Their tiny size is perfect for packing in lunches or snacking on during the day. 

All that you need is a bag of frozen roll dough and a package of pepperoni slices.  Make as many as you want or as few as you want and have your extra dough on hand for the next time you get a craving.  You could be creative and add other fillings like cheese, ham or salami, but pepperoni alone is wonderful. 

All you have to do is thaw the number of rolls that you want according the packages directions.  I like to cover mine with plastic wrap while it rises.  They took about 4 hours. 

Then flatten out the dough and lay 4 pepperoni slices in the middle.  I used my silicone baking mat to pat out the dough so I didn't need to flour or grease my surface.  You may need to flour your counter top.

Fold 2 opposite sides to the middle and press to seal.  Sorry these pictures are a little wonky. Sometimes I get a little overzealous with Picnik!  I promise my dough wasn't radioactive.

Fold the other 2 sides over and seal again.  Place seam side down on the cookie sheet.  

You'll want to let them rest for 30 minutes or so until they puff back out and get a second rise.  That baking sheet is older than Moses well seasoned. 

Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown.  Remove from oven and brush with olive oil.  This keeps them nice and soft for a couple of days...if they last that long.  ;)

Enjoy!

Mexican Corn & Tomato Salad

Nothing says summer to me like fresh produce.  Seriously, there is no comparison to sweet, juicy corn picked straight from the garden or fresh, vine ripened tomatoes.  I've mentioned before that I wasn't a big fan of the summer, but I'll make an exception for fresh veggies.  ;-)  Oh yeah, and maybe one for watermelon too.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across this recipe on AllRecipes.com, and it was full of corn and tomatoes. In my attempt to lighten it up and because it just seems wrong to add butter to a salad, I made a little dressing with olive oil and lime juice and omitted the butter.  It gives your salad a little shine while using a healthy fat.  You get so much flavor from the fresh veggies, onion and cilantro that you don't need a ton of seasonings.

Another plus for the summer recipe is that you can do all of the "cooking" in the microwave, keeping your kitchen nice and cool.  I like to throw this together early in the day, let the flavors meld in the fridge and then nuke it in the microwave before serving at dinnertime.   The hubs prefers to eat it like a cold salsa with corn chips, but I like it warm.  Either way the salad is the ideal accompaniment to your favorite grilled meat.

Enjoy!

Recipe
3 ears of corn, shucked
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2/3 c red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lime juice
salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning to taste

1. Place shucked corn in a glass pie plate or dish with 1/2 inch of water.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp.  Cool slightly, cut corn from cob and place it in a bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients, and season to taste. I like to zap this for a few minutes in the microwave and serve it warm.  The hubs likes it cold with corn chips.

Adapted from: AllRecipes.com

*Printable Version*

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Best Ever Zucchini Bread, I Promise. ;-)

Summer squash is one of my favorite garden veggies.  However, those of you who grow your own know that it seems to all come off of the plant at the same time.  I shared my Summer Squash Casserole Recipe a while back to help you use up the yellow squash, but now I'm going to give you my FAVORITE recipe for zucchini squash!

I love zucchini bread and I've tried a half dozen recipes, but I always end up going back to the recipe that I grew up eating as a kid.  It's sweet, moist and perfectly spiced. I like to make it in mini loaf pans, wrap the loaves in foil and freeze them.  They're also perfect for gifting! 

Enjoy!

Recipe
3 eggs
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c applesauce
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c white sugar
3/4 c light brown sugar
3 c flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 c grated zucchini
1 c chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 small loaf pans or 1 large.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla.  In a large bowl, combine sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.  Mix in nuts and zucchini.  
3. Pour into pans and bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

*Printable Version*

Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread Minus the Jiffy!

I'll be the first to admit that I have used a certain cornbread mix in a blue and white box for years because it only takes 30 seconds to assemble, is super cheap and it tastes alright.  Lately though, I've been searching for something better; a recipe for cornbread that was super easy, didn't have any special ingredients to buy and, most importantly, tasted better than the blue box version.

So....I found Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread on AllRecipes.com.   It had a bazillion great reviews and was named after somebody's grandma so I figured it worth a shot.  The hubs LOVED it.  Seriously, he doesn't often get this excited about food.  :P  Score one for grandma. 

However, I felt I needed to do my part to reduce some of the fat and calories.  To lighten it up a little, I used Best Life Buttery Baking Sticks.  You won't save a ton of calories with these, but they do cut back on the saturated fat by 50%.  Oh and most importantly, they taste good.  ;)

I also used 1% milk combined with vinegar (just enough to start curdling the milk) to make my buttermilk.  You can buy fat free buttermilk, but if you look at the ingredient list, there is a lot of  "stuff" in there that's not exactly milk.  Ewwww....

The final calorie saving trick was to sub Splenda for half of the sugar.  I don't like using all artificial sweetener because you get a weird aftertaste in your baked goods, but using it to replace half of the sugar turns out pretty well.

After all of the substitutions, the hubs still loved it.  =)

It only took about 8 minutes to put together so I will be making this from now on and saving the blue box for corn casseroles.  Score another point for grandma!

We like this cornbread with soup, but top it with butter and honey and you can eat it for dessert or a late night snack.  Mmmmm....

Enjoy!

Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 c butter (or reduced fat buttery baking sticks)
2/3 c sugar (or 1/3 c sugar and 1/3 c Splenda)
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk (or 2-3 Tbsp vinegar + enough regular milk to equal 1 cup)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar.  Quickly whisk in eggs one at a time until thoroughly combined.  combine buttermilk and baking soda.  Add to butter mixture.  Whisk in remaining ingredients.  I like to use a whisk because it makes sure that the egg is fully incorporated and there are no eggy lumps in the cornbread.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Serve with honey and butter for a special treat.

Source: Adapted from AllRecipes

*Printable Version* 

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Cheesy Chicken Empanadas!

I love chicken empanadas.  I can't get enough of them, but I know they aren't that good for me.  That is why I was thrilled when I found a less fattening recipe at the Short Stop blog complete with an awesome tutorial!!  Her pics are a lot better than mine and you'll love her story to go along with the recipe, so check it out!  I believe Paula Deen, the southern queen, has a recipe like this as well.

You'll get a lot of these little devils, but you can bake and freeze them.  They reheat easily in a 400 degree for 8-10 minutes.  I can make and freeze them a week or two ahead for a dinner party, freeing up a lot of time on the day of the party.  The other great thing is that you can use whatever kind of ingredients you can imagine.  Fill them with chicken, cream cheese, ranch dressing mix , bacon, green onions and cheddar or use chicken, cream cheese, italian dressing mix, olives, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and mozarella or parmesan cheese...

It takes a little practice to get the knack of shaping the empanadas, but once you do, they're pretty simple.  You'll just have to eat the ugly ones yourself to hide the evidence.  ;)  The main trick is to roll them pretty thin so that you can taste more than just the pie crust.  Not that there's anything wrong with eating pie crust... hehehe, but you'll want to taste that filling you've spent all that time making!

Serve these as an appetizer with queso or with my Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup.


Recipe
2 cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (2 1/2 - 3 cups)
8 oz Mexican blend cheese, shredded
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup bell pepper, finely diced
1/3 cup onion, finely diced or 1 tsp onion powder
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 (15 oz) pkgs refrigerated pie crusts

1. Mix all ingredients except pie crust in a medium bowl with hands or spatula.
2. Unroll pie crust and roll until it's about 14 inches in diameter. You need it to be thin so that you can taste the filling.  Otherwise, it will just taste like a mouthful of crust. 
3. Use a large round cookie cutter- at least 4 inches and make your cuts.  Fill with a heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture.  Be careful not to overfill or the filling will ooze out and stick to your pan.
4. Dip your fingertip in water and wet the edges of the dough.  Fold dough over and seal the edges with a fork.  Make sure you seal them tightly so they would come apart.  
5. Reroll your scraps of dough and start over.
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Cool on a wire rack.

Source:  Adapted from Short Stop's Chicken Empanadas Ole'

Summer Squash Casserole

Squash is one of those vegetables that is fun to grow in your home garden, but when it's harvest time, you have a million of the little gourds coming off all at once.  Panic ensues as you try to figure out what you're going to do with 50 yellow squash and 80 zucchini squash before they go bad.  You make zucchini bread, grilled squash, fried squash, zucchini brownies, zucchini salads, and squash soup until you feel like you have squash coming out of your ears.

Well, I'm about to introduce you to a recipe that will make you rethink squash.  This recipe was given to me by a friend who is an amazing cook and incredible hostess.  While I've tried a dozen squash casseroles, this is the ONLY one that I've ever really liked.  Cornbread stuffing mix is the secret ingredient that adds loads of flavor and crunch, taking this beyond your typical mushy squash casserole.

It has a very rich flavor, but I've trimmed back some of the calories by substituting chicken broth for the stick of butter and using light sour cream and reduced fat soup.  I'm not going to lie and say this is a light recipe, but you can lay your little head down at night knowing that it could have been worse.  : P

You can use any kind of bell pepper.  I like to mix red and green when I want a more festive look, but whatever is on sale will work just fine.  Also, you can use all zucchini or all yellow squash, but once again, I like the look of using both together.  Squeezing in a little extra squash won't hurt the recipe either as it is pretty foolproof.

I hope your family will enjoy it as much as mine!

Recipe
2 Tbsp butter
1 bell pepper chopped
3/4 c white onion, chopped
1 1/2 c zucchini, sliced
1 1/2 c yellow squash, sliced
1/2 - 3/4 c chicken broth
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c reduced fat sour cream
1 (6 oz) pkg cornbread stuffing mix

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and lightly spray a medium sized casserole dish.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add bell pepper, onion, zucchini, squash and 1/2 cup chicken broth.  Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.  Add more broth if needed.
3. Remove skillet from heat and stir soup, sour cream and 3/4 cup of the stuffing mix into the veggies.
4. Pour mixture into casserole dish and sprinkle remaining stuffing mix on top.  
5. Bake uncovered until bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.

Linked to:

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Zucchini

Twiced Baked Potato Bake

I may be ugly, but I have bacon. =)

Potatoes.  Bacon.  Cheese.  Bacon.   Ranch dressing.  Bacon.   Need I say more?  OK, OK, I'll say more.  Bacon. :P.

I've been doing a lot of cooking this weekend as I am trying out recipes for Easter lunch.  This one has been in my AllRecipes recipe box for a while just begging for an excuse for me to make it.  It may not be the prettiest dish, but neither am I.  ;)

To me, this dish (I say dish because I'm sure what the right word is to describe it) is like lazy twice baked potatoes, so you could really vary the ingredients based on what you like to pair with potatoes.  Next time, I plan on adding green onions for color, but green chilies, olives, leeks, barbecue spices, or fresh herbs would all be fun mix ins. The hubs and I definitely enjoyed it the way it is shown here though.

The verdict:  Totally Easter dinner worthy.

Recipe
2 lb red potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c light ranch dressing
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 c real bacon bits

1. Lightly spray 9x9 pan with cooking spray.  Put potatoes in dish and toss with olive oil.  Sprinkle seasonings on top and mix again.
2. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
3. Remove from oven.  Stir in dressing, cheese and bacon.  Return to oven and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Serves: 4-5
Source:  Adapted from AllRecipes.com 

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Sweet & Smokey Homestyle Green Beans

See the steam rising?  Mmmmmm....

Growing up, my family always had jars and jars of delicious canned green beans picked fresh from the garden.  Whenever there was a church pot luck or a holiday, Mom or Grandma would fix a big pot of green beans with chunks of smokey ham and sweet onions that had simmered on the stove or in a crock pot for a couple of hours, soaking up those delicious flavors. 

I love those beans, but I don't can my own veggie and I don't have a lot of time.  So I came up with this simplified version with beans straight from a can that will make it to the dinner table in 20 minutes.  

I added my very own secret ingredient- brown sugar.  It may sound weird, but it gives the green beans just a hint of sweetness to go with the spicy black pepper and smokey bacon. 

Once you try my secret ingredient, you'll never go back.

Well, unless you count going back for seconds.  ;-)


Recipe
2  cans french cut green beans (or your favorite cut)
4 slices thick cut bacon diced into small pea sized pieces
1/2 c sweet onion, diced
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium pan cook bacon 2-3 minutes until it starts to render up some of its fat.  (You'll need the fat to cook the onion.)
2. Add onions and saute until onions are soft and bacon is cooked.  Watch carefully so not to burn.
3. Drain liquid from green bean cans and fill cans with fresh water while beans are still in the can.   You could also chicken broth if you'd like.  I like the flavor broth adds, but I don't always have it on hand.
4. Add beans, brown sugar and S & P to taste.  I like to add a lot of freshly ground black pepper to add a spicy dimension to the beans.  
5. Simmer 10-15 minutes. 

Serves 6